Remy's POV:

When I woke up, unstoppable thoughts flooded my mind.

War is happening.

I should have handed myself in.

They would all be safe if I just handed myself in.

I rolled onto my back and stared at the tent flaps as they fluttered in the breeze outside, showing me little glimpses of the night, of the crescent moon. The moons rays caught the sword, making the blade shine, like it was taunting me. I had left it resting against the locker at the end of my bed, refusing to have it any closer to me. I hated it.

Quietly, I eased myself out of bed, wrapped the blanket around me and slipped out of the tent. The breeze hit me, neither cold nor warm, just nice, in the middle. My hair blew around my face, and I pulled at the blanket tighter. I sat on the closest log to me and stared at the little twigs in the long – gone fire that were still alight, still fighting. Sighing, my mind had a rerun of everything that had happened that day.

I had destroyed two bonds. Kina and Hook.
I talked to Maria. She told me everything.
I had returned to camp alone. Peter and Raybha had gone.
I had returned to find the camp in a state of shock. People were quiet, crying.
I couldn't understand why they were crying.
We were now in a war. Hook wanted me. He didn't get me. Now we were all going to die. Of course they'd cry.

I cried with them.

My mind was in a state of shock. It was so unusual for me to be this blunt.

The moon was bright and alive, shining down on the camp, the forest, the world. I looked up at it and wondered how all of this could have happened. Things like that, they just didn't happen.

Leaves crunched behind and I whipped around, feeling like I had finally snapped and woken up. My eyes widened in shock. Raybha was walking toward me, and then in an instant joined me on the log.

She sighed, and I watched her carefully. Raybha had never attempted to cover up her annoyance or anger, but I could see that her face was pulled tight, like mine was. She was trying to hide her sadness.

"I broke two bonds," I said, because I didn't know what else to say. "A girl from camp, and Hook. Raybha, I don't understand how Hook could declare war. You said that when I broke a bond the person would forget me. He hasn't. He still knows me. Is that possible?"

After a long few moments, she nodded. "Yes. It's possible. It can be stopped by a stronger power, a power that we can't contradict. A power that can only be used by the deceased."

Maria. It made perfect sense. She stopped it. She stopped him forgetting me.

Realising I had told Raybha nothing about Maria, I quickly explained to her what had happened. She said nothing until I had finished.

"I can see why she stopped it, and I can see why she made you dream those images," she said, her voice stern.

I nodded. I could see it too.

"I'm going to have to lead us," I said, "aren't I?"

The thought was terrifying. I can't do it, my conscience kept repeating.

When she said nothing, I kept going. "I should have gone to that boat. I should have given myself up. He gave us three days. He knew I wouldn't go. He knows I'm a coward."

Raybha started to shake her head furiously, and grabbed my hands, startling me.

"You are not a coward," she said, her eyes flashing. "We never would have let you go, whether you wanted to or not. We knew we would have to fight. Now the time has come. The time has come to fight back and to fight for ourselves, for our world."

"But I still don't understand why he wants me!" I lowered my voice to a whisper. "Does he know about the sword?"

"I do not know," she said, clutching my hands tighter. "I do not know what goes on inside that man's head. I believe that he only wants you because he is furious you got away. He is furious because you, a girl who was barely an adolescent at the time, defeated him, and left him marked. He is crazy with rage. I have seen it. I have heard it in his declaration. The man is slowly dying in his mind."

Raybha's voice was so grave it was hard to look away from her. Her eyes were saddened, angry, tired, and serious.

"He just wants to even the score," I said, my voice a whisper. "He just wants to break even. He wants to hurt me, like I hurt him. He just wants to kill me."

Raybhas's eyes finally turned away from mine and became fixed on the crescent moon above, like she was silently asking the moon questions. Questions, judged by her lack of facial expression, that were always going to be unanswered.

"I'm going to fight," I said. "I'm going to fight with you. I'm going to fight if it takes every breath out of my body, every part of my soul, every glimmer of happiness and hope I've ever had. I'm going to fight even if he kills me. But I'm just hoping I might get him first."

As Raybha and I sat there, I realised there was no point in wallowing over the fact that a war had begun. What really mattered was that we knew what we had to do, we knew that we would have each other, we knew that we had to stand up for what we believed in.

And, if anything, I also realised that it was me who had to get the ball rolling. Stop busying myself with stupid thoughts and stupid feelings, and realise that there was much more important matters and things that were resting on my shoulders.

I had to fight. I would fight until I was dead. I would lead us.

A/N: Wow. I haven't done this in a while. Yesterday was Christmas day where I live, and I was given a laptop. My old one wouldn't work AT ALL, and so I just couldn't write. I have been studying like a madman. I'm filled to the brim with excuses, and instead of pouring every one of them out I just want to say, Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to you all. I never could have done this without you. Never. I will definitely be updating soon. Watch out for a new chapter.

~G